INTRODUCTION TO OIL TECHNIQUES

Introduction to Oil Painting Class Birmingham

I’ve so often heard art students say how much they’d like to try oils, but don’t really know where to start, or feel too intimidated to try them.
The Intro to Oil Painting Techniques course, located in the beautiful surroundings of the Birmingham Midlands Institute, aims to gently introduce you to the materials used in oil painting and to show you how accessible and beautiful a medium it can be.
Once you try oils, you’ll never go back!

On the course itself I’ll get you familiar with using oil paints and mediums. I’ll show you how to make your own mounted canvas frames (canvas is notoriously expensive, so why not prepare your own?).

We’ll learn to prime your canvas for painting, how to do an underpainting in monochrome, and the technique of  ‘fat over lean’.
I’ll show you how to lay out an organised palette, work with limited colours, lay down a tonal ground,  glazing techniques,  value studies, and of course the basics of colour mixing itself.

We’ll be setting up still life’s that are stimulating and contain drama. We’ll be looking at how to tackle a landscape, portraits, the benefits of studying a Master copy painting, and painting the figure using this most versatile of mediums.

The 10-week course will cost  £250 in total (any returning students receive a discount), which can be paid in two instalments after confirming your place with a deposit of £100.

Unfortunately, I can only offer a maximum of 10 places for each class, so please book in advance to avoid disappointment.

 Although the course is suitable for students who have never previously tried oil painting, some basic knowledge or experience of painting, in general, would be beneficial. 

All basic materials will be provided, including easels, brushes, palettes, and paints. Although a personal sketchbook is certainly not mandatory, I recommended it.

Oil painting is seemingly feared by some artists and seen as a kind of alchemical approach to painting, where only the true sage-like artists have access to it. This is false. Let’s look at it in a bit more detail and answer some common questions…

Why use oil paint?– The main difference between oil and other painting mediums is drying time. Oil dries slowly, giving the artist plenty of time to mix colours. More time equals more control over your mixes. Oil is naturally glossy, so colours are more vibrant and vivid, even when dry. Whereas watercolour and acrylic look duller when dry.

Is oil painting complicated?– No. It’s the most forgiving medium of all, as you have lots of time to make corrections. I think one of the reasons that people have come to think of oil as complex comes from a time when the materials and mediums were scarcer.

Once upon a time artists had to source their own raw materials, go through the laborious process of grinding them down and turning this into a paste that would be used as paint.

Also, it’s not a water-based medium, so some people immediately shy away from it. The difference with oil is you substitute water for an oil medium, which thins the oil and makes it more fluid. Oil painting is not more complex than other painting techniques, it’s just that the possibilities of the medium are vast.

Is oil paint toxic?– In some regards it can be considered unsafe if you’re not using any common sense. Oil paint consists of oil and pigment combined. As long as it’s not swallowed, it is safe.

Again, the reputation for its toxicity comes predominantly from a time when some of the components of oil paint included lead, mercury, and sulphur! Safety issues stem mainly from the solvents used. However, the worst offender, turpentine, is not used in class.

Instead, I use a thinner called Zest-It, which is environmentally friendly, non-toxic, and smells of citrus fruit. It is a great alternative to ‘turps’, and is used to thin paint, and to clean brushes at the end of the session.

What materials do I need?– All I ask is that you bring in an old rag to clean/wipe your brushes whilst painting. This is more of a practical issue than an absolute necessity. When you’re in the midst of a painting, it is beneficial to have a rag at hand to wipe off any excess paint. Otherwise you have to find tissue or kitchen towel which takes you out of the flow of painting and becomes too much of a distraction.

All other materials are provided, which include easels, boards, brushes, palettes, brush-holder tubs, paints, mediums, thinners, and paper.